What do you do to make life bearable for other people?

Give up my seat for old people on the bus. Plus girls think it’s cute.

Laugh at their jokes even when they’re not that funny.

Pick up the tab.

Use my turn signals.

I volunteer for Habitat every other week. I donate goods to Goodwill. I try to be a decent and polite human being.

Just listen. It is a rare thing in our world. Did you ever have someone focus all their attention on you when you speak? It is delicious, and so hard to find in our world of distractions and multi-tasking.

If I have anything, I always give money to the homeless. I don’t care if I know it’s going towards booze, crack, or a McDonald’s burger. I just think that chances are a panhandling life must, for the most part, suck, so I try to help out, with the exception of the street kids who have rich parents and aren’t truly homeless. My friends often chide me for this, but whatever.

shut the door on my way out.

Give clothes to charity shops (mostly those that work to help homeless, but also cancer society), leave change in collection boxes, give money to buskers. And generally aim to help or accommodate people to the extent I can afford to (money, time, effort, ability, risk)

Once a week I spent the afternoon with a woman who has such severe allergies, she can’t be near electricity or sunlight. I started it dutifully, and even tho we sit in a house where all the windows are covered in plastic, we have become friends.

I have taught ELS to a wonderful Russian woman until she died. My sis, bro-in-law and I share the tasks involved in keeping our 93 yr old mother in an Independent apartment rather than move her to assisted living, which the staff would like.

I said “yes” when my daughter asked me to take her cat so that she (daughter, not cat) could continue on a romantic adventure on the other coast, and in that other country, eh. Now, that’s lurve.

@gailcalled: That’s really truly kind, and is indeed lurve.

So why is this cat sitting in an 8” x 8” x 2” basket containing important papers, a plastic tongue scraper, a manual for cell phone, with most of cat hanging out? He has the other 2999 sq feet of house w. comfortable chairs, beds, rugs.

And now my daughter owes me BIG-TIME. This is MY chip to cash in when I am putting my teeth in a glass and roaming around town in my nightie.

I have big shoulders for my friends. They can confide in me when they need someone to talk to, and they know I will listen in a non-judgemental way. When I am at work and i am giving a patient hydrotherapy, I stay and talk to them. when I dry their feet, I go the extra mile and turn it into a small massage. Many have told me it is very soothing to them. It sounds weird, but it has been comforting to stressed out patients.

Mainly, I just try to be supportive and respectful to people in any way I can. I’ll send cards to cheer someone up, or do something goofy to get them to smile when they are feeling low. As Marina said above, it’s a rare thing these days.